NFL: Michael Sam wants focus to return to field

Michael Sam, who is hopeful of being the first openly gay player in the NFL, says he has another goal that he hopes to accomplish.

"I just wish people would see me as Michael Sam the football player, not Michael Sam the gay man," Sam told reporters at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Saturday.

Sam went public about being gay earlier this month. He's now focusing on testing well at the scouting combine in front of representatives from every team, including the 49ers and Raiders.

Sam was voted the SEC co-Defensive Player of the Year as a pass-rush linebacker at Missouri. It just so happens that the Raiders are in dire need of pass rushers.

"This league is about affecting the quarterback," Raiders coach Dennis Allen said in a Sirius radio interview in Indianapolis. "That's something that we've got to do and have to do better. Pass rush and pass coverage are going to work together there. We've got to do some things to get some people that can get after the quarterback."

Sam notched 11½ sacks his final season at Missouri, including three in a game three times. Still, there are questions about whether he is well suited for a particular position in the NFL.

"I'm a pass rusher," Sam said Saturday. "My specialty is rushing the passer. If you put me in a situation to get the quarterback, I'm going to get the quarterback."

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Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater is considered by some as the best prospect among a deep class of quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft. The Raiders just might feel the same way after they interviewed Bridgewater at the combine.

Bridgewater told reporters in Indianapolis that he feels as if Raiders owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie liked him based on their meeting.

The Raiders finished the season with two inexperienced quarterbacks on their roster -- third-year player Terrelle Pryor and undrafted rookie Matt McGloin. They since have signed veteran Trent Edwards.

Oakland likely will meet with several more, if not all, of the top quarterback prospects before the combine ends next week. That list includes Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel, Fresno State's Derek Carr, Central Florida's Blake Bortles and Eastern Illinois' Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Raiders own the rights to the No. 5 pick in the NFL draft in May. They are assured of having a shot at one of the aforementioned quarterbacks.

Allen said he isn't sure if his starting quarterback is on the Raiders roster right now.

"I don't know the answer to that yet," Allen said. " ... The quarterback position is the backbone of your football team, so we have to make sure that when we go out there this year that we've put ourselves in the best position to have success with the quarterback position."

Finding a legitimate every-down pass rusher is on Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie's lengthy to-do list this offseason. South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is an intriguing candidate, assuming he's available when the Raiders pick. Clowney, however, is confident he will be long gone by the time the Raiders get started.

"You watched the Super Bowl. Defense wins championships," Clowney said in response to why he should be selected by the Houston Texans at No. 1.

Clowney, 6-foot-5 and 266 pounds, met with the media in advance of his on-field workouts at the combine. The Raiders no doubt were among the teams paying close attention to everything Clowney said.

"You can tell a guy's work ethic by the way he plays the game," Allen said on Sirius radio. "It's visiting with former high school coaches, former trainers, former equipment people, just trying to dig as much as you can into the background of that particular player to find out little bit more about them. Obviously, we're going to spend some time with these guys in the interview process."

Clowney arrived in Indianapolis surrounded by questions about his work ethic and desire to play hard every down. No one doubts his ability.

He countered by saying: "I want to be one of the best. I want to be one of the greatest of all time."

Earlier this week, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier fueled the speculation about Clowney's work ethic by saying he wasn't the hardest worker.

To that, Clowney said: "Once I get to the NFL, my career is going to go up."

Clemson's Sammy Watkins, the consensus top wide receiver in the draft, has aspects of his game he still wants to work on.

"I think I'm pretty much a good route runner, but there are a lot of areas I can improve in with getting out of my routes," Watkins said. "I think the routes I need to focus on are my curl and comebacks."

At 6-1, 211 pounds, Watkins isn't the ideal size for a No. 1 receiver, but his ability to catch the ball at its highest point and his speed make him stand out. Some mock drafts have the Raiders taking him at No. 5.

Staff writer Steve Corkran, The Associated Press and the Charlotte Observer contributed to this report.